For Better Or For Worse
by Twisted Genius
Summary: Post LOTTL and the mess RTD left us with! The Master was dead, mere ashes. But a female hand takes his ring... This contains spoilers for LOTTL. Lucy, the Master, the Doctor, Martha, and Jack! Teen just in case. Chapter 8 is up! It's complete!
1. Chapter 1: Till Death Do Us Part

Disclaimer: I don't own Dr. Who or any of its characters, if I did, I'd do a spin off called "The Saxons". This contains spoilers up to "Last of the Time Lords". This is my first story I've uploaded. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1: Till Death Do Us Part

Lucy Saxon pulled the up collar of her elegant, red cashmere overcoat, her heels clicking on the ancient stonework of the large, dank, poorly lit tunnel she had entered. She loathed Cardiff, and being underground made it even worse. So deep was the tunnel, that she couldn't even hear the traffic above, which would have been better than the occasional dripping of water against the stones. She carried a black leather satchel that was slung over one shoulder.

As she approached her destination, she recalled the events that brought her to this point, trying to rethink them, see the flaws. And there were definite flaws. Of course, everyone on the Valiant could recall those events, the events of "the year that never was". However, especially she could since everything that had been done and then undone had been for her. Harry had told her so. The Toclafane were her people, one hundred trillion years in the future; a pointless, sad future. She had seen it, the furnaces and conversion factories; the ones that turned people into childish killer spheres. They worshiped him, their Master and she loved him for what he was trying to do, rebuilding his world, and hers. She still loved him, even now. She missed him so much.

She remembered how wonderful things had been on the Valiant, primarily at the beginning. Harry had showered her with gifts ransacked from the decimated Earth below. He was always trying to impress her, to please her. Fine artwork, expensive wines, delicate perfumes, and beautiful jewelry and clothing, he gave it all to her. The red dress that he gave her, she remembered that vividly. He adored that dress and she was proud to wear it for him.

"I have something for you," Harry called out in their bedroom, dressed immaculately in his dark suit and tie. He was grinning like a schoolboy. "It just came from the surface, you see."

"Oh Harry," Lucy said as she entered from the adjacent water closet. "It's not another painting is it? We've already got the Mona Lisa hanging in the lavatory." She was dressed in a prim gray tweed dress suit, her hair pulled up conservatively.

He smiled, "Well, from the Louvre to the loo! No, actually this is even better." He held out a large, fancy wrapped gift box.

Lucy regarded the box, her deep blue eyes shining. She glanced up and looked into the dark pools of his eyes. She slowly moistened her lips and a small smile played upon them. She took the box and sat it on the bed and tore into the wrapping paper. She took off the lid and pulled back the tissue paper. Her face lit up and her smile widened. She carefully took out the beautiful silken red gown. She went to the dressing mirror and held it up.

"Oh, it's just lovely, Harry!" she exclaimed as she went over to thank him properly. The kiss was hot and passionate. While they kissed, his hands went to her hair and he took out the clips, letting it fall to her shoulders.

"Wear your hair down. Please, for me?" he asked, whispering in her ear.

"Anything for my Master," she said smiling losing herself in his wondrous eyes.

He had told her the dress complemented her hair of spun gold. He had actually used that phrase. And she wore her hair down from then on. He was lovely to her then, but she could tell things were wrong, over time. He enjoyed torturing the Freak, but he actually got bored with killing him after so many times. He enjoyed gloating to the aged Doctor, but even that didn't seem to please him as much after awhile.

The worst of it, what seemed to finally eat away at him inside was a combination of things. Designing the warships and black hole converters was child's play for Harry, but the drumbeat never went away, nor did the childish ramblings of the Toclafane. The pressure was getting to him. She could see that. He stopped knotting his tie properly and wouldn't let her help him with it. Then there was Martha Jones surviving his traps and the rumors of the UNIT/Torchwood Time Lord anti-regeneration weapon. That's what truly pushed him over the edge. He became obsessed with it, with the possibility of him dying and not returning.

"It's possible, they've had Torchwood long enough and with all the artifacts they've accumulated… it could be done. I sense the Brigadier had something to do with this!" he said sitting at a large computer, trying to search what was left of the UNIT database. In frustration he slammed his fists on the desk.

Lucy rested her delicate hands on his shoulders and began to massage his very tight muscles. She kissed the top of his head. The Master closed his eyes and relaxed a bit. Then the paranoia returned.

"The ring, Lucy!" he said pulling away from her touch and standing. "You know what to do if, they succeed?" His dark eyes gleamed.

"Of course," she nodded. "But everything is going according to your plans. The countdown is on schedule. Six months from now, we leave this pointless world forever."

The Master smiled. His faithful companion and wife; he had chosen wisely. He knew that. Being human for a time had taught him to love, and he was glad for it. "Still, there is a chance. And never discount the Doctor. He's beaten me in the past…"

"He's old, useless. You've beaten him, Harry," she said trying to get him back from the brink of insanity.

"But if by chance they do manage to kill me, the ring, that is the key," he said in a low whisper now, pulling close to her, his eyes wide and intent. "No matter what, you must get the ring. And use it. But they'll arrest you… try you for crimes against your own race… We'll have to fix that bit. You'll need protection, an alibi, as they say." He was quiet, a small wicked, clever grin on his face. She wanted to take him then and there, but knew now simply wasn't a good time. But she'll recall that smile later that night…

"What do you mean, Harry?" she asked. "I mean everyone's all ready seen me. When you switched on the Paradox Machine we danced. It was beautiful. We kissed as the Toclafane killed one tenth of humanity. Just how will you convince them? I'm no prisoner here, I've made that choice and I'd do it again. No regrets."

"Ah, but you could become but a puppet on a string," the Master mused, walking around her melodramatically. "Why you'd be nothing but a helpless plaything, a toy for my amusement. I could help you with that; help you appear lost and bewildered."

"Hypnotize me?" Lucy asked quietly. She wasn't afraid of being hypnotized. He had done it once to help her get over her fears of being interviewed. She had actually asked him to do it since she was terrified of making a mistake. That was early on in the campaign. By the time Mrs. Rook died, it was easy. But, even then she had worried, worried about failure.

"Yes, but you'll be in complete control of yourself, Oh ho!" he laughed. "It will also enable me to link telepathically with you, which could come in handy. You'll be able to even fool the Doctor; he'll be able to sense the latent effects of my power over you! They'll let you go and even feel sorry for you!"

Lucy nodded. "But two conditions, Harry."

"Name them," he said coming up to her and caressing her arms with his fingertips.

"I will be completely aware and able to be fully normal when we are alone?" she asked, honestly intrigued by the idea.

"Yes, of course, Darling," he said with affection. "If I wanted a robot, I'd have married an Auton!"

She smiled and licked her lips in her usual sensual way, then became serious. "You told me that Time Lords were telepathic, well, I want you to share the drumbeat with me. I have to know what's destroying you."

The Master scoffed. "It's not destroying me, and no, I will not do that to you, absolutely no!"

"You must. We've shared so much, Harry. Why not this? Please?" she pleaded. She had to know.

The Master considered it a moment. "No secrets. I'll show you. Prepare yourself," he said touching her face with his hands.

She was ready, yet how could she be truly ready? Ready to sense something alien to her that was driving her husband insane. He shared with her the drumbeat, the never ending throb that called him to war, to destroy. And she understood. But she wanted more. Before he broke contact, she tried reaching out. It had caught the Master off guard and she was able to see a memory. Of all the memories to see that were locked up inside the Master's tortured mind, she saw one of the very earliest. The memory was of him standing, a mere eight year old boy, before the Untempered Schism on Gallifrey. She saw what he saw: the endless vortex going on and on and on. The concept of eternity overwhelmed her. She screamed and screamed. She understood now. She knew how he felt for now she could hear the drumbeat as well.

He hypnotized her, giving her the suggestion to appear will-less and broken around all the others, but not him. She'd be his Lucy when they were alone together. It had worked and she became his broken puppet wife, whom all pitied. She had even suggested something to her Harry, which horrified him. She found it amusing that she could do that to him.

She had worked for several charities after she had graduated from St Andrews, and one of those charities was for domestic abuse. She explained this to him, how it would make their charade more believable. He didn't want to do it, but she convinced him it was best. He agreed grudgingly. It did make sense. He wanted to entrance her so she wouldn't feel the pain, but she refused. So periodically he struck her, thus making her appear even more broken. So the act continued and she'd be free of any repercussions.

On that last fateful day of the year that never was, she had to do the most difficult thing in her life. The Master, her Harry had been defeated and he stood there before his former captives. He was goading Martha Jones' mother to shoot him but the Doctor talked her down and she dropped the gun. She was surprised by Harry's look of disappointment. It was then that he contacted her telepathically. He was desperate, especially after learning he's be a prisoner in the Doctor's TARDIS forever.

She remembered the exchange. It had happened so quickly, the very speed of thought.

"Lucy, pick up the gun," he said in her mind.

Lucy picked up the gun; no one was watching her but her husband. "Harry, shall we try to escape?" she thought in her mind, waiting for his response, to see what he had planned. She wasn't prepared for what he was about to ask.

"Lucy! Shoot me! Shoot me now, before it's too late! Please, I beg of you, do it!" he suddenly bombarded her mind.

"No Harry, I-I can't…" she told him in her mind.

"Do it!" he shouted back deep inside her brain. The shot rang out and he fell to the floor.

Even as the Doctor begged him to regenerate, he refused. The Master sent one final thought to Lucy before he died, "Thank you, Lucy… Get the ring…" The Master then savored his brief victory over the anguished Doctor with his last moments of life.

He died and the thoughts faded from her mind. She nearly collapsed after that. It was horrible and she was alone and she could feel it, feel that his presence was gone. She watched the Doctor cry over his body and it sickened her. She knew she couldn't grieve, that would ruin all the work that she and Harry had done. She saw the fallen laser screwdriver and carefully picked it up, not calling attention to herself. The Doctor and the others had taken Harry's body away before she could get to the ring, but that was also prepared for.

After they all returned to English soil, they made sure she had gotten help. That help was in the form of medical staff that actually was in the employ of Harry Saxon. They were his thugs disguised as medical staff, even down to forged papers that fooled the UNIT troops. Upon his death, they were to see that his wife was well cared for and that they did just that, obeying her as they would him. The tracking code Harry had given her allowed her to use a tracking device to locate his body. Her staff took Lucy to the pyre that the Doctor had used to burn his body. It had been left unattended, so she watched it burn, paying her respects and praying to whatever Time Lord gods might be listening. At first she was shocked and appalled that Harry's body had been burned and fearful that the ring would be destroyed. But then the flames died down and she saw it within the ashes, completely undamaged. She picked it up and heard Harry's insane laughter in her mind. It was such a comfort.

The tunnel continued on and she could tell she was getting closer. She looked at the walls and noticed pipes and wires attached to the walls. They were new and didn't look like the normal things one would see in a dank tunnel. She passed by a glowing panel and knew she had been scanned, but her DNA would register and none of the defense mechanisms would activate. She began to hear a faint hum in the background. She was nearly there. Her single heart pounded with excitement as she approached.

She came to the end of the tunnel and found herself inside a very large, dingy warehouse basement room; the stone walls of that room were lined with machines; machines that hummed and blinked, giving off an eerie light. Cables hung down from the high ceiling. She walked over to a workbench. Circuit boards and pieces of electronic equipment were strewn haphazardly about the table. She placed her satchel on the workbench and waited.

"Why have you come?" a harsh, weak voice hissed at her. A dark, hooded figure limped away from a strange looking platform in which many of the cables fed into. As the figure came out of the shadows, she could see his face. Sallow eyes burned out of sunken sockets. Shards of dead flesh hung from the ruined face. She could see his teeth protruding from his lipless mouth because there was only a scant amount of tissue left on his skull. A gaunt hand clutched the silver and gold laser screwdriver.

Lucy was saddened and happy, both at the same time. "Because I missed you and I love you, Harry."

Well chapter one is done. Please let me know what you think. I'll get chapter two up as quickly as I can. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: With This Ring

Disclaimer: The BBC owns Doctor Who and its characters.

Chapter 2: With This Ring

The Master stood silent, casting a baleful gaze at his wife, Lucy, but even then, there was a hint of longing and sadness in his cadaverous eyes. "You should not have come," he croaked, his wizened body, trembling slightly. "In this condition I can not guarantee your safety. If my work is detected, both Torchwood and UNIT would descend upon us like vultures, take you away from me and deprive me of what little existence I possess."

Lucy smiled sadly, but with devotion. She approached her husband, but he staggered back away from her. She stopped. "I don't care. I want to be with you, no matter what may happen. I married you and my place is by your side, Harry." Seeing him like this hurt her so much. She blamed herself for the horrible condition he was in now.

"Do not call me that, Harry Saxon is dead!' he hissed. "I am but a palsied shell, a wretched shadow of my former self." He turned away from her. "I do not wish you to see me like this." He limped over to a console and began checking gauges.

"But you are Harry Saxon! You're the Master!" Lucy said approaching him. "It's you inside. That's what matters. I love you! I'll always love you," she said reaching out and touching his arm. It was so emaciated and weak when before it was strong and vital. Even in this condition she longed for him to take her in his arms.

His hooded head slowly turned in her direction. With the eerie lights from the control panel playing across his dying face, it made his visage even more grotesque. His eyes regarded her warmly. "Bless," he whispered, weakly.

After retrieving the Master's ring from his funeral pyre, Lucy set in motion a plan that she and her husband had developed in the event of his death. As prime minister, there always was the threat of political assassination, as well as some deadly intervention from the forces allied with the Doctor, had they learned of his true nature.

Lucy Saxon, the widow retreated to their estate at Tarminster, which she inherited from her father. It was a beautiful, stately Victorian manor. Lucy always enjoyed the gardens from the time she was a small girl. It was amid those gardens that she and Harry had plotted. With him gone, she was to wait an appropriate time and then set the plan in motion.

The drawing room at the manor house was large and quite elegant, with an impressive marble mantle fireplace and paneled walls made from the finest dark mahogany. It was richly decorated with tapestries and beautiful antique furniture. Lucy was dressed rather seductively in a red silken robe and lingerie. Her hair fell to her shoulders and framed her lovely face just as Harry liked it. She arranged the expensive bottles of champagne in the sliver ice bucket as well as setting out two crystal champagne flutes.

She wanted everything perfect for the celebration of his return.

There was a knock on the massive, intricately carved mahogany door. "Come in," Lucy called out in an almost giddy tone.

The door swung open and a tall, handsome man stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Geoffrey Stockdale was one of Harry Saxon's most trusted minions. He often took care of some of the more dangerous and important tasks that needed done. His past was rather shady at best; therefore he was well suited for those assignments. His dark hair was short and well groomed. He had green eyes and an angular, masculine jaw. He was dressed in a brown suit, but even in the suit, one could tell he was muscular.

"Mrs. Saxon, is this a bad time? I know you wanted to speak with me, but I can come back at a later time," he asked, having seen the way she was dressed. He had to admit he liked what he saw.

"Nonsense, Geoffrey," she said deliberately walking toward him wearing pumps that accentuated her femininity. "I most definitely wanted to speak with you."

"What may I do for you, Mrs. Saxon" he asked trying not to be obvious that he was watching her every move.

"Oh I rather like the sound of that," she smiled sweetly, with a hint of playfulness. "The fact is, I've had my eye on you for some time. I wanted to thank you for your service to poor Harry, and now to me."

"It's my pleasure, Ma'am. Your husband was a great man, and his death alongside the American president was a tragic loss."

UNIT had managed to sanitize her husband's death to make it appear that he had been assassinated along with Arthur Winters to continue the friendship between Great Britain and America. Lucy often wondered what would happen if people ever learned the truth. Winters was a dreadful man and she was so excited when Harry took charge and disposed of him. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Harry is gone, and I'm a woman with needs." She gave him a sly smile. "How should I put this? I want you." She came up to him and traced patterns on his suit lapels with her red lacquered fingernails.

Stockdale's arms came up and began caressing her back. She made a slight purring noise in response. She withdrew from him playfully.

"We'll have much more of that, I think, but first, I have a little token for you," she said as her deep blue eyes focused on Stockdale. She reached into the pocket of her robe and took out a man's ring. It was silver, with a round green stone and an odd series of circles inscribed on it. "This is for you." She held it out to him, her delicate hand poised dramatically.

"That was Mr. Saxon's ring, wasn't it? The one you found in the ashes?" he asked, curious.

"Why yes, it is," she replied seductively. "It's a sort of a key. It unlocks secrets that he accumulated whist he was minister of defense. I want you to have it and be with me. I need someone strong and you'll know how to use those secrets to their best advantage."

He took the ring from her. "What sort of secrets?" He examined it. To his expert eye, it appeared to be a simple ring. No hidden compartments.

"The kind that certain nations would pay as handsomely as you are," she smiled. "Put it on, please?" She undid her robe a bit, showing some of her creamy skin.

Stockdale smiled back and slipped the ring on his finger. It was then that it started. The ring began to cast off a yellowish light. Stockdale tried to pull the ring off. He couldn't. The yellow glow engulfed his body, trails of light flaring at his arms and head. It was almost as bright as the sun. Lucy squinted, but continued to watch, fascinated. He screamed. The pitch of his scream slowly changed as did the face in the light. Harry Saxon, in both appearance and voice began to emerge. Suddenly, the golden light turned dark. The Master continued to scream, but now he was in utter agony. He flailed helplessly as the process failed. Lucy brought her hand to her mouth in sheer terror not knowing what to do. The dark light faded and The Master collapsed, falling forward partially on a settee. Trembling, Lucy approached the fallen figure. He was breathing shallowly.

"Harry?" she said meekly.

The Master rose up and showed his face. That horrible face! His lipless, skull-like visage leered at her with constantly visible teeth. His eyes bulged out from receding sockets. "The weak, craven fool died during the conversion process!" the Master hissed, explaining to Lucy what had happened.

Mercifully, Lucy fainted from the shock.

When Lucy came to, she found herself on their bed. She was still dressed in her red robe. It was morning and she could hear the birds singing from outside the windows. At first she thought it all a nightmare until she saw the dark figure of her husband sitting in a chair watching her. She gasped, reflexively, her heart pounding in her chest from fear and anguish, seeing her Harry like that. He was to be as he was before. That was the whole purpose in refusing to regenerate; to maintain his current body print.

"How are you feeling?" the Master asked, his voice a strident hiss.

"I- I'm all right," she said weakly, trying to comprehend what was happening. "What happened? We checked his medical records when we first chose him. He was in perfect shape…" Her voice trailed off.

"He lied." The Master sighed, weakly. "Latent memories of his remained in my mind before the synaptic reformatting completed. He had an inoperable cancer, was it? I can't quite recall what it was, but when the biomorphic transducer in the ring began converting his DNA into mine, the disease began to replicate itself, killing the host body before the regeneration could take place. That is way he led such a dangerous life; he no longer had anything to lose. I know that feeling."

Lucy moved off of the bed and walked over to her dresser. She opened a wooden jewelry box and took out an object wrapped in a red silk scarf. She removed the scarf revealing the laser screwdriver. She took it over to her husband. "I was able to get this off of the Valiant. They knew it wouldn't work without you. That Martha Jones tried to take it from me, but relented because I was still 'broken'," she said kneeling down and resting her head in his lap.

Holding the laser screwdriver in his bony hand, the Master pressed a control stud. The end extended and the device hummed in his hand. "Enough of my DNA is intact to make this work. Good. You've done well my faithful companion."

"Then you can heal yourself with it, like you aged the Doctor?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"No," he said almost mournfully. "My DNA is far too damaged for that, and the ring mechanism has reset. Were I to die now, I would be returned in this very form." His gaunt hand stroked Lucy's golden, silky hair. She tried to allow her love for the Master to not make his touch sicken her. "I require pure DNA and massive amounts of energy to heal this damage. "Where is my body?"

"The Doctor burned it," Lucy said swallowing hard.

"Perfect," the Master said scornfully. "I once tried to destroy Gallifrey to regenerate, but the Doctor stopped me. He saved our world only to destroy it later himself. Yet through it all, the Doctor remains unscathed."

Remembering something, Lucy pulled away from her husband, a very bright smile on her face. She stood and returned to her dresser and opened a different case. She pulled out a gold locket with a long delicate chain. Excitedly she returned to the Master's side. She opened the locket to show him her prize: a lock of his hair.

"What would I do without you, my Lucy?" he said, renewed strength in his voice.

Bless. It was his way of telling her he loved her. Lucy knew the Master was more than simply a complicated man. He was an alien, a Time Lord. She had gotten used to his eccentricities, such as thinking the Teletubbies were a hyper evolved species, or Thomas the Tank Engine, an amazing feat of cybernetic engineering. She watched him adjust controls at the console. "How is it coming along?" she asked not wanting to disturb him, but she was curious and watching him work gave her a renewed sense of hope.

The Master did not look away from the console. "The Rift Energy Capacitor is working, but it is a slow process. However, there should be more then enough energy… yes, more then enough. I'm not defeated yet," the Master said with a surge of determination in his voice.

Hope. Lucy thought it good.

I hope you've enjoyed this. Chapter three will be up soon. Please review, thank you so much!


	3. Chapter 3: Speak Now Or Forever

Disclaimer: The BBC owns Doctor Who, Torchwood, and a bunch of other stuff. I wish I owned the BBC.

Chapter 3: Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace

The black range rover parked far enough from the warehouse to avoid detection. The fact that a perception filter installed on board assisted in keeping the SUV from notice. Its windows were tinted black and its running lights were blue. There were two people seated inside, Captain Jack Harkness and Martha Jones. Both watched the entrance to the warehouse intently as they picked at the fish and chips each of them had.

"So why are we here?" Martha asked sipping her soft drink. Not that she minded being with Jack, but this is not exactly what she had in mind for a date, not that he had even called it that. Since she had stopped traveling with the Doctor, he had been really quite nice to her, but this time was different. He had been secretive but told her it was very important.

Jack took a deep breath. "I tried to talk to UNIT about this, but for some reason, they aren't listening. It's weird. They told me it's just paranoia because of what happened on the Valiant. Well, I don't think so."

"What? Tell me. You know I'll listen," Martha Jones said coaxing him to continue. When he mentioned the Valiant, she shuddered. She knew what the Master had done to him. He called him "the Freak" and experimented on him, or rather tortured him and killed him countless times to try to discover the nature of his being a fixed point in time.

"Lucy Saxon. I've been checking up on her. She's kept to herself since she 'divorced' dear old Harry. She'd rarely leave her estate at Tarminster. That is until recently. She's drained her trust fund and bank accounts buying enough electronics to make NASA jealous. She also bought that warehouse. I looked up some of the old city plans for Cardiff, and there's a tunnel under the building that leads to a disused sewer substation, perfect for stealing power and it's a rift energy focal point."

"And they wouldn't listen to you?" she tilted her head. "That doesn't make sense."

"No, and here's the kicker," Jack said grimly. "She made up a dummy company to do the purchases. The name of that company is Padrona Industries. That's Italian for Mistress."

It took a moment for Martha to fully comprehend what Jack was saying. "My God, you mean he's taken over her body? That's horrible!"

"Yeah, no wonder he didn't regenerate when Lucy shot him. He was already inside her," Jack said matter-of-factly.

"That explains her behavior. He must have been inside her the whole time, from the very beginning," Martha said shaking her head.

"Yeah and it explains why no one's listening to me. It's probably some kind of effect from the Archangel Network."

Martha looked at him concerned. "I thought the Doctor deleted all the Master's programming from Archangel."

"He did. This must be some kind of post-hypnotic suggestion." Jack took out his energy pistol. It was set to stun. "We should go in and ask him… her."

During their conversation, a pair of men wandered in and out of the entrance to the building occasionally, checking the area. They were dressed plainly in old clothes, but their demeanor indicated militarily training.

"I bet they voted Saxon," Jack said getting out of the SUV. Martha followed him.

Jack opened the back of the vehicle and took out another pistol, handing it to Martha. "It's set for stun," he told her in response to her look of distaste. Reluctantly, she took it.

Jack slowly and quietly approached the entrance. It was night which helped to keep them out pf sight. Martha kept very close to him as they ducked behind a dumpster. They waited what seemed to be an eternity before the guards came out again. Jack popped out from behind the dumpster facing the men.

"Hi guys!" he said even as they started to draw their weapons. Jack was too fast for them. A wide burst flash from his stunner and the men crumpled to the ground.

Martha came out and began to examine them. They were doing fine other then being unconscious. "That's a pretty handy gadget," she said smiling. It was nice to see a weapon that didn't have to kill. She looked at the one she held. She was a little less afraid to use it now. She then took out her mobile phone.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked as he tied up the men with some metallic binding tape.

"I'm calling the Doctor. He needs to know, and we need his help." Martha pushed a button on the mobile. The little screen lit up reading "The Doctor".

"Hello Martha!" It was the Doctor's voice. Martha was so relieved just hearing his voice. She started talking when the voice continued cheerfully. "Sorry, I can't get to the phone right now, something is probably terribly wrong. But leave a message and I'll call you back!" There was a beep.

"Doctor!" Martha said emphatically. "We think the Master's still alive, inside his wife's body! You've got to come! I hope you're all right!" She ended the call and put the mobile away.

"Looks like we're on our own for now," Jack said, taking out a scanner. "There's two more inside. "Let's go!" Jack said rushing inside the building. That was the funny thing about Captain Jack Harkness. Since he was a fixed point in time, he was just a bit reckless, especially when it came to dealing with ordinary humans. If you can face down a Dalek, humans are easy. A couple to stun blasts later and more metal tape for the guards, they were ready to enter the tunnel.

Jack scanned the tunnel. "Rift energy. It's off the scale. Whatever Lucy's up to it's big," he said meeting Martha's soft brown eyes with his. "We'll have to be very careful."

"I wish the Doctor were here," she said disappointed.

"Yeah, me too," Jack said entering the tunnel. Martha followed closely behind.

Lucy had taken off her red cashmere coat to help her husband the best she could. Mostly by handing him tools and getting parts for him as he needed them. She was dressed in an elegant black pants suit and red frilly blouse that showed just enough cleavage to distract him even in his current condition.

The Master carefully opened an access panel and was greeted with a puff of smoke to the face. He snarled in disgust and waved away the smoke. "What I wouldn't give for a simple warp matrix integrator," he lamented aloud. "The containment field is holding, but only just. Laser screwdriver, please."

Lucy handed him the device. She watched him as he worked on the panel, the screwdriver gently surging in his hand. She remained silent, but was glad to be by his side, her Time Lord, husband, and lover. No matter what happened, she still had that. But she wanted him back, whole. She'd do anything to get him back. And she had. She'd spent nearly all their savings, sold priceless family heirlooms, and killed.

"Harry, this will work, won't it?" she asked finally after he had to replace a number of burned out components. There was much concern in her voice.

Her concern was not overlooked by the Master. "I am positive it will work, more or less…" he said as he looked at her. In spite of his grotesque face, there was a twinkle in his dead eyes. With Lucy around he felt a bit of his old self.

Lucy pouted a bit, but then she cracked a small smile. "That's really not funny, Harry." His comment made her recall Archangel, how it wasn't quite foolproof. She recalled one night after his return. They discussed how the Doctor had beaten him by using the Archangel network to restore himself with the psychic energy of the remaining human population, by saying his name. She was forced to say his name at the last possible moment to help keep everyone ignorant of her true intentions. She then told him about Peter Pan and how Tinker Bell had been brought back to life, since it was very similar. That made him fly into a rage, that he had been defeated by ancient history. She tried to explain that Peter Pan was a children's play and book, but decided against it, since he was already agitated and weak from his condition. Instead she played his Scissor Sisters CD, track eleven, not three, which calmed him down. He always did enjoy pop music.

The Master closed the panel, satisfied his repairs would hold. He limped over to the central console, checking the gauges. He flipped a number of switches and was pleased with the outcome. "The containment grid is holding and the capacitor is functioning properly." He turned to Lucy. "Bring that laptop computer to me, Sweetheart," the Master said weakly gesturing to his workbench.

Lucy nodded, walking over to the workbench, she scooped up the laptop. She glanced at her satchel. As she brought the laptop to him she said, "I brought you a thermos of soup. You should eat something…" Her voice trailed off. Judging by his state, he probably couldn't eat.

He took the laptop from her and booted it up. "Thank you, but no," he said leaving it at that. On the screen, the Archangel logo popped up. There was a steady four beat pulse, coming out of the laptop speaker. Lucy recognized it at once; the drumbeat. He tapped a number of keys on the keyboard. "Ah Doctor," he muttered to himself. "So helpful to humanity… You thought you've purged it all, didn't you? And the supreme hubris of these apes! Keeping Archangel online… How thoughtful…" He turned to Lucy. "This is the most dangerous juncture of my plan as far as detection goes. I am logging onto the network for a very special purpose. UNIT will detect my presence but by then it will be too late. Unfortunately it will eliminate your protection."

Before Lucy could question him, an alarm sounded. The Master switched on a monitor. Jack and Martha were making their way into the tunnel, as he deactivated the Master's traps with Torchwood technology. "Excellent," the Master said switching off the rest of his traps. "Let them think they are getting in here without detection. Such naivety!" The Master produced a box shaped gun from his cloak. "You know what to do, my Dear," he said as he limped off into the shadows.

Jack and Martha slowly entered the control room, stun pistols drawn. They were a bit awed by the complexity of the equipment. Although the machines were clearly Earthly devices, the arrangement was clearly alien. Lucy, a lovely vision of black and red, her golden hair cascading down her shoulders, came out of the shadows. She carried her husband's laser screwdriver. Her bearing was that of authority, and why not, she was the prime minister's wife after all.

"Well, the girlie and the freak!" she said, a beautiful smile on her face.

"It's her!" Jack fired his stunner. The burst seemed bounce away from her. "What the?" Jack said checking his weapon.

"A personal force field. Harry thinks of everything, you know," she said, her smile not wavering.

"That is correct, Freak," the Master said as he seemed to ooze from the darkness. His weapon was drawn. He fired and Jack fell to the floor. "Drop your weapon Ms. Jones, or you'll join him on the ground."

Helplessly, Martha dropped her stun pistol. She was in shock from seeing his face. "You didn't have to kill him," she said. Looking down, she noted he was still breathing.

"What would be the point in killing him?" the Master hissed. "He'd just get back up again. He's stunned. That will last longer. Now, be so kind as to remove his vortex manipulator."

"No, you monster!" Martha said, her defiance returning.

The Master fired his weapon. Martha felt an odd tingle throughout her body, then nothing.

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4: To Have And To Hold

Disclaimer: The BBC owns all things Doctor Who.

Chapter 4: To Have And To Hold

Martha Jones gradually awoke, finding that her limbs really didn't want to do what she told them to do. She realized that she was on a cold, stone floor. Her eyes gradually opened, and when they were able to focus, she was relieved to see Jack's face. He smiled his best "we're doing great!" smile, even though they truly weren't. Her heart began pounding in her chest as she remembered that the last thing she saw previously was a hideous version of the Master.

"It's like a hangover without the fun of the alcohol," Jack joked. "You'll be fine in a little while. Guess they want us alive. I'm not sure if that's good or not."

"Well, you're certainly Mr. Sunshine," Martha said rubbing her temples. Her limbs began to obey her again and she slowly sat up. She looked around. They were still in the Master's laboratory. She saw their captors. The Master sat at his workbench, taking his laser screwdriver to Jack's vortex manipulator. Lucy stood by his side, her hand gently resting on his shoulder.

"Careful, Martha," Jack said warily. "Don't move around too much. We're in a force field. I guess they don't want us wondering off." He demonstrated by touching the air in front of them. There was a small flash of light. He pulled back his hand and shook his fingers. He smiled again. He was worried, but he didn't want Martha to know.

"We've got to get out of here and do something," Martha said, as that terrible sinking feeling in her stomach that indicated hopelessness began to set in. "There's no telling what he'll do!"

"They've taken all our equipment," Jack said, as he watched Martha check for her missing mobile. "I've looked around at his machines and I have no idea what he's up to."

"The Doctor will come. I just know he will and he'll be amazing," Martha said, tying to cheer both of them up.

Lucy pulled herself away from her husband's side and stepped over to their prisoners. "Oh good, you're both awake now," she said with a small smile of satisfaction on her lips. "Harry does so enjoy an audience. There's going be quite a show for you to see. His rebirth."

"He's using you," Martha said, trying to reason with Lucy. "He'll get what he wants and that'll be it. If you're lucky, he won't kill you when he's done with you."

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you Martha? I hope you don't mind if I call you Martha? And you, Jack?" she asked, looking at each of them. "We have so much in common, human companions to our Time Lords."

"We have nothing in common!" Martha spat, contempt on her pretty face. "Your Time Lord is a murderous psychopath, he's insane and evil!"

"Martha, it's okay," Jack said, trying to calm her down, realizing there could be repercussions for her comments regarding the Master. "She has a point, Mrs. Saxon… Lucy, he's not been very rational, you've got to admit that."

Lucy nodded as if she were talking to small children. "It wasn't my husband who wiped out his own world, down to the last man, woman, and child. You don't understand what Harry was trying to accomplish, do you? He was trying save our world; keep it from that terrible fate all those trillions of years in the future, to try to save the last vestige of humanity from extinction. He also wanted to rebuild his own world, really the only way he knew how. It was the drumbeat, actually. Harry shared it with me. I understand why he did it. I can't fault him, and I love him and he loves me."

"He can't love you," Martha said, shaking her head sadly. "He can't possibly be capable of that."

"I feel sorry for you, both of you. But especially for you, Martha," Lucy said, wistfully. "It must be so very hard to love someone and not have them return that love. I saw how both of you were on the Valiant; how you felt toward the Doctor. Martha, you traveled the entire world, dodging Harry's traps, to save your Time Lord. Yet, I can tell, because you are here and no Doctor, it didn't work out for you two. Well, you did all that to save him, and I can do no less to save mine. I'll do whatever it takes to get Harry back."

"You're as crazy as he is!" Martha said realization in her voice. Lucy's words still hit home and stung.

"Harry likes to think so," she said, smiling sweetly.

"What exactly is the Master up to?" Jack asked, trying to get a grasp of the situation to formulate a plan. "What happened? I mean, you shot him… how did he…"

"Oh, the ring," Lucy said quietly. "It rewrites DNA and it held his essence; everything that was Harry Saxon was in the ring. At first, I thought Professor Lazarus was a daft old man. It was good to see Harry's funding of his experiments being put to practical use."

"He turned himself into a monster and killed people horribly! The Master is responsible for that!" Martha said, not hiding her contempt.

Lucy smiled and moistened her lips. "I think Harry did mention to me that he had made a few suggestions to the professor regarding his research."

"But the ring, it didn't work, did it?" Jack said, urging Lucy on.

"It would have. It was beautiful. He was like a god," she said, musing aloud. "But something happened. The body he used died."

"He got what he deserved," Martha said, harshly.

Lucy cast an icy glance toward Martha. "I'm certain that you'll get what's coming to you."

The Master had left his workbench, still holding the vortex manipulator in one hand and his laser screwdriver in the other, and he limped over beside Lucy. She lovingly smoothed out his cloak.

"I must apologize for your accommodations," he hissed jovially. "I had to adjust Lucy's personal protective force field projector to forge you a suitable containment area." He indicated a very small box about one inch square on the floor. He had given it to her during the election to protect her. "I must thank you Freak, for the generous gift of the vortex manipulator."

"It's broken. It's of no use to you," Jack said, an edge to his voice.

"It is fully functional now," The Master said, pressing a control stud on the watch-like device. The indicator screen began to give off a greenish hue. "We now have the means by which to leave this wretched planet, Lucy," he said turning to his wife.

Lucy remained silent, but gave her husband a dazzling smile. She then cast a contemptuous look toward Martha.

"The Doctor will stop you, you'll see! He's done it before and he'll do it again!" Martha said defiantly.

The Master's gaze chilled Martha to the bone. "Ah, the Doctor! Humanity's precious defender, to the last! Oh yes, he will most assuredly be here. I'm counting on it, in fact. He can be so very useful at times."

Just outside the warehouse, a churning, whirring noise began that grew louder as an old blue police box materialized out of nowhere. The door opened and a tall, very thin man with a shock of wild brown hair and boyish good looks stepped out. He was dressed in a blue suit and red tennis shoes. He looked around then took out a small silver pen-like device. It hummed a bit. There was concern on his face.

"This is where Martha's mobile was when she called me…," he said aloud. "They wouldn't have decided to wander off and take on the Master themselves…Nah!" He considered it for a moment. "Oh, this could be bad…Very bad!"

He took the mobile that Martha had given him out of his jacket pocket and placed a call to her.

On the Master's workbench, Martha's mobile vibrated. The Master limped over to the bench and saw the ID on the screen. "And there he is," he hissed as he pointed his laser screwdriver at the main control console. He fired a low energy burst at a control and it activated. He turned to his captives. "I have just prepared a very warm reception for our dear Doctor!"

Still holding his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor approached the entrance to the warehouse. He then saw two unconscious guards bound with metal tape. He shook his head a bit. "They did go after the Master."

He scanned the room with his sonic screwdriver and he followed the signal. He found the opening to the service tunnel. "Why can't it just once be in a five star resort?" he muttered as he entered the tunnel.

In the Master's laboratory, a panel began to beep that connected to a very large cone shaped device with concentric circles running through the cone. The circles pulsed with a bluish hue. The Master limped over to the panel and touched a control. The gauges on the screen were all full. He turned to Lucy, who had followed him over. "The Rift Energy Capacitor is at maximum. It's nearly time," he said excitedly.

A loud electronic surge came from deep within the tunnel. Lucy glanced at her husband, licking her lips in anticipation. Jack and Martha looked at each other, a look of shock on each of their faces.

"It would seem that the Doctor wasn't as careful as I thought he'd be," the Master said quietly, almost sadly.

"You wanted him to escape?" Lucy asked, puzzled.

Martha began to cry, even as Jack consoled her. He too was tearing up.

The Master faced Lucy, his twisted hand coming up to caress her cheek. He stopped before he touched her skin, and dropped his hand back to his side. "We've done this sort of thing for centuries…I'd set up a trap and he'd elude it. Always such great fun. It's why I didn't kill him on the Valiant. That and I wanted him to see that New Gallifrey could be a reality."

"Harry, if your machine is ready, shouldn't we get you better?" Lucy asked, seeing that her husband was more affected by the Doctor's demise then she thought he'd be.

"Yes, you're right Lucy. I'll prepare to vent the energy into the resonator," the Master said as he tapped keys on the capacitor's control panel. "Then we'll need the DNA reservoir."

As the Master busied himself and Lucy stood by his side, a figure carefully entered the laboratory via the tunnel. The Doctor, looking fine, smiled at Martha and Jack, holding a finger to his lips for silence.

Sorry this took so long to finish. Hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5: We Are Gathered Here Today

Disclaimer: The BBC holds the rights to Doctor Who.

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Chapter 5: We Are Gathered Here Today

The Doctor smiled reassuringly at Martha and Jack. Martha wiped her tears away, smiling brightly and Jack gave her a quick hug. The Doctor mouthed silently to them, "I'll get this force field turned off, and you two get out. I'll handle the Master… and his wife."

Martha silently mouth a protest but the Doctor was adamant. They were to escape and leave the evil Time Lord and his companion to him. They were his responsibility. The Doctor looked at Jack and he nodded that he'd take Martha to safety. Jack also thought to himself that as soon as Martha was safe, he'd rush back in to help the Doctor.

The Doctor knelt down and examined the small electronic cube. He recognized it at once; it was similar in design to Gallifreyan personal force fields that persons of importance tended to carry. He glanced over to the Master and Lucy. The Master had returned somehow; Lucy wasn't the Master after all, as Martha had thought. He was still working at the control panel, but he was now leaning heavily on Lucy. The Doctor guessed that his current body didn't have much time left.

He slipped his tortoise shell reading glasses on and continued to watch the pair. He didn't detect any signs of possession on her, but that made no sense. She was the one who shot and killed her husband in the first place, and now she's helping him? Women can be confusing, he thought to himself. He watched the Master closely. He could tell that many of his bodily systems weren't working. Sheer force of will kept him going. He knew he was most dangerous in this condition.

The Doctor returned to the force field projector. He could see that the device was straining to maintain the containment field. It wasn't really designed for that kind of power output. The Doctor took a deep breath, held the sonic screwdriver to the cube and the tip glowed blue. The cube flared and the force field was gone. Unfortunately, two things then happened: a loud alarm sounded, and before Jack could usher Martha to safety, a heavy door slammed down over the tunnel entrance. The Doctor made a disappointed face and got to his feet.

"Ah Doctor," the Master said, loudly over the alarm. He fired a low intensity beam from his laser screwdriver at the main console. The alarm silenced. He then turned to face the Doctor and his two companions. Jack and Martha were trying in vain to open the door at the tunnel entrance. He continued in a much more subdued voice. "I see that you have once again fulfilled my expectations! You have arrived at an opportune moment… you're just in time…"

"For the end?" the Doctor piped up, getting a proper look at the Master. Lucy was definitely holding him up.

"For the beginning," Lucy responded. "Harry's rebirth."

"He wouldn't need this makeover if you hadn't shot him, Mrs. Saxon," the Doctor said, watching her carefully.

Lucy glared at the Doctor with her crystal blue eyes, half supporting her husband and half clinging to him. "And have you take my Harry away, just like that?"

"No, you didn't understand. With everything that's happened, I would have helped him," the Doctor said in a quiet voice. "I would have helped him with the drumbeat."

"As you helped Gallifrey?" the Master whispered.

"Stop it, it wasn't like that," the Doctor said as he looked at the Master, really seeing his condition. "Master, you've seen better days, haven't you? And, just what are you two up too?" the Doctor asked, changing the subject as he looked about the laboratory.

"Haven't we all seen better days?" the Master said bitterly.

"You've stolen another body haven't you?" the Doctor said grimly.

"Yes Doctor. Lazarus technology hidden within my indestructible ring. DNA and synaptic reformatting, but the donor was less than desirable," the Master replied. He gestured weakly at the device beside him. "How do you like my Rift Energy Capacitor?"

The Doctor examined the cone shaped device with concentric circles running through it. "Brilliant Master, it's amazing… and completely dangerous. You can't concentrate rift energy like that, it's unstable."

"I am using an inverse matrix, Doctor," the Master said breathing heavily. "Did you miss that lecture at the Academy?"

"Oh, well, I suppose that could work," the Doctor said slipping his hands in his front trouser pockets. "Dynamic phasing?"

"Naturally," the Master replied dryly.

"But what's it for?" the Doctor said as he stepped around the glowing device. "I mean, you've got yourself a lovely power source, but how do you…" The Doctor stopped as he saw the platform in the corner. "Is that…"

"Yes Doctor," the Master said, limping away from Lucy and toward the platform. "Not the actual device but a discarded prototype. His lot," the Master waved a hand in Jack's direction, "Made off with the final device during the confusion of Professor Lazarus' rampage. Still, I've managed to cannibalize this unit and convert it for my use. I've had to cannibalize so many things, Doctor. Much like humanity will eventually have to cannibalize themselves into the Toclafane to survive. I, too, am doing what I must to survive."

Martha and Jack had given up on opening the door and joined the Doctor. They flanked his sides in a defensive posture. In response to any attack they might try, the Master kept his laser screwdriver ready.

"Let me help you now, Master," the Doctor said, concern on his face.

"You can't let him regenerate, Doctor, not after all he's done!" Martha said, shaking her head in disbelief. "All the people he murdered, and would have murdered, and the things he's done in the past..."

"He's got the vortex manipulator," Jack added.

"Come on Master, you know you don't have much time. Let me help you." The Doctor said, giving Martha a stern look after she began to protest again. Jack wasn't exactly pleased with the Doctor's idea either. Nevertheless, he understood being different and alone.

"Help me?" the Master mocked. "By trapping me in the Eye of Harmony? By imprisoning me in your TARDIS? Oh, I could go on, couldn't I? I do trust that you will not be offended if I decline your offer. Still, Lucy has told me you cried like a schoolgirl over my death. And yet now, you seek to stop me."

"Only because what you're planning can't work without DNA," the Doctor explained, ignoring the Master's barbs. "Your current DNA isn't any good, and I burned your body out of respect."

"Yes, I shall repay you for that, in time," the Master said, ominously. "But my faithful companion and wife, being sentimental, kept a lock of my hair. From that, I have cultured enough protoplasmic material to replace the damaged tissues and restore me fully."

The Doctor looked at Lucy who had made her way to the main control console. She had her back to the panel, leaning against it, her arms behind her, palms resting on the console. She smiled slyly at the Doctor's glance.

"You've served your master well," the Doctor said, realizing just how much he had misjudged her, from the very beginning. She was far from the broken porcelain doll that she appeared to be on the Valiant.

"Thank you," she said in her sweetest voice, bowing her head ever so slightly.

"It terrifies you doesn't it, Doctor?" There was realization in the Master's weak voice. "Ever the aloof Time Lord, who takes a companion for a time and then discards them like a toy one becomes bored with, unless they get killed. Tell me Doctor, why? You adore these apes, yet you can't form a lasting relationship with them. I was human once, had that wretched insect girl as my companion. I was fond of her… Great Rassilon, imagine that! Lucy's much more suitable, don't you think so? But you had Jo Grant, Sarah Jane Smith, my sort of daughter, and the stewardess. Romana, your own kind! There were so many others. How many? Do you even remember them? But you remember Rose Tyler, don't you? Ah Martha Jones, you're just one of a long line of disposable companions."

"That's enough Master!" the Doctor said, angrily. "You know why. It won't last." He looked at Lucy. "It won't last." He faced the Master. "They're like candles. Such little time. I couldn't take that. Fall in love and in a wink of an eye, gone. Martha, I'm so sorry." He cast Martha a sad glance.

"Touching Doctor, and so very craven. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a regeneration to attend to." The Master raised his laser screwdriver. "Now be so kind as to stand by the door."

The three hesitated and then slowly moved back by the heavy door. The Doctor lingered by the Rift Energy Capacitor however, admiring it, and then joining Jack and Martha. The Master limped over to Lucy at the console and began taping on the keyboard of the laptop. While the Master had his back to them, the Doctor showed Martha a corner of a circuit board he pilfered. Lucy had pretended she hadn't been watching them, when in fact she had been.

"Harry, the Doctor took something off of your machine," she said, fearfully.

The Doctor, in response dropped the circuit board and brought his shoe down on it, breaking the board into several pieces.

"You mean the fake plasmic regulator?" the Master hissed, amused. He turned and looked at the Doctor. "Such treachery, Doctor, I'm impressed. And so very annoyed!"

The Master slammed his hand on a control. A box on the ceiling opened and a glowing twin barreled weapon dropped down. It trained itself on the Doctor and his companions.

"That device is keyed to your DNA signatures. Move, and you will be immolated." He pulled Lucy close to him. "Nice word, immolation." Lucy smiled and licked her lips.

The Master returned to the laptop. He finished typing and hit the send button. The Archangel symbol popped up and the throbbing signal began to transmit. Moments later, a UNIT symbol appeared. "Jammed, but were they too late? Time will tell…" the Master mused to himself.

"What was that signal?" the Doctor asked, only vaguely noting its familiarity.

"Oh you'll see, Doctor. I am glad that you took the decoy board. Had you taken anything else, you would have been destroyed. That would have been such a waste, for if I fail in this endeavor, I'll still have your body to inhabit."

"It's nice to be wanted," the Doctor said, holding very still.

"Indeed," the Master said, acknowledging the Doctor. He turned to Lucy, touching her arms weakly. "It is time."

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Another chapter done! Hope you enjoy! I'll update as soon as I can. Thank you for the reviews! Please keep them coming.

I read an article that said John Simm would like to play the Master again, and one of the producers said they'd love to have him back! So, here's hoping for more of the Mister Master and his pretty Mrs. Master! Just keep RTD away from them!


	6. Chapter 6: Let No Man Put Asunder

Disclaimer: The BBC owns Doctor Who. RTD, leave the Saxons alone!

Chapter 6: Let No Man Put Asunder

Martha had faced many different dangers since traveling with the Doctor and working with Jack at Torchwood, but not being able to move under threat of death was certainly a new experience for her. Her body was getting tired, but she had no choice but to remain perfectly still, along with the Doctor and Jack due to having a weapon built by the Master pointing right at them. They discovered that they could speak to each other, as long as they didn't move too much. Jack had been the one to test the weapon, since if it killed him, he wouldn't be dead for long because he was a fixed point in time. Still, dying tended to hurt, so he tried to avoid it as much as possible.

They stood motionless, forced to watch the Master and his wife finalize the adjustments on the various pieces of equipment. As they worked, they seemed to have forgotten their captives. "We've got to stop them," Jack whispered. "Any ideas," Doctor?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied through his teeth. "But all of them end up not so very nice."

"I don't know how much longer I can stand still," Martha said, breathing shallowly just in case. "If I run really fast in front of a machine…"

"No Martha, it's too fast. The beams would get you," the Doctor said, sternly. "Just hang in there."

"Lucy," the Master said as he weakly gestured at what appeared to be a large glass aquarium atop a rolling console. Inside the glass was a pulsing mass of multi-colored, shapeless organic matter. "Bring the DNA reservoir to the resonator, please."

Lucy nodded. She carefully wheeled the device over to the prototype Lazarus machine. It was greatly modified from its original form. The device was simply a round platform with four curving columns. Each column had several large parabolic discs pointing inward, focusing at the center. The Master limped over and the pair began attaching cables and hoses from the platform to the glass machine. When they had finished, the Master removed his ring and placed it in a recessed panel on the base of the glass machine that fit the design perfectly.

"Doctor, How fast can you get to your sonic screwdriver?" Jack asked sizing up the situation. "And use it?"

"Oh, no, Jack. Don't do it," the Doctor pleaded. "There's got to be a better way."

"I don't see any. Besides, I'll be back in a little while," Jack said, concentration in his eyes. How do you fully get ready to die, even if you're used to it, he thought to himself.

The Master pulled a lever on the glowing cone shaped Rift Energy Capacitor. There was a rumble as power surged from the Capacitor into the platform. The columns began to glow, as did the glass box attached to it.

"Now, Lucy, the Master shall live again!" he said as he limped toward the machine.

Lucy crossed her fingers and said a silent prayer to Rassilon and Omega, names he often used in vein. She assumed they were Time Lord Gods. In a way she was right.

"Ready Doctor?" Jack said, setting every muscle in his body for action. The weapon would have to work at getting him.

"Jack…Yes," the Doctor said, sadly.

Jack smiled and bolted for the workbench with all the weapons laying on it. He didn't get far. The weapon sprung into action, tracked him and fired. Twin beams of red energy burst from the tubes. The beams hit Jack and he glowed for a moment, then dropped to the floor. The Master had described the process accurately. His body smoked a bit as it lay there.

The Doctor used Jack's sacrifice to his best advantage. His sonic screwdriver was out, tip glowing blue, and pointing directly at the weapon. A panel dropped to the floor, followed by wiring and a shower of sparks. The weapon's glow faded. Martha and the Doctor stumbled from being stiff, but then rushed to the platform.

The Master ignored their newfound freedom and made his way to the platform. He was in place and stepped on the control at his feet to activate the machine. Golden plasma poured out of the discs and flowed into his body. He screamed. It had begun.

The Doctor and Martha had nearly reached the controls when they stopped. Lucy stood before them, a small pistol in her well-manicured hand. "Harry wants me to carry one of those fancy weapons he's always making. I suppose I'm just an old fashioned girl," she said, a small smile on her face.

The Doctor eased to the controls and stopped when Lucy said, "Don't!" very adamantly and pointed the gun at Martha. "Shooting my husband was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. I want Harry back. I'll shoot you both, if I must. Back up, please." There was a powerful look of determination in Lucy's blue eyes.

"Do as she says Martha. The Master's frozen the controls. I can't stop him," the Doctor said taking Martha with him. They half watched the Master and checked on Jack. He was already beginning to stir.

The Master stood on the platform, bathed by the golden energy. He continued to scream as the process continued. The golden light pouring into his body grew stronger. The glass container attached to the platform glowed as well and began to empty. His dark form began to fade from view due to the brightness of the energy. Lucy watched, still keeping an eye on the others now that Jack had returned from the dead again. She was glad that her husband would be back soon as well. Lucy finally had to look away. The Master had told her she could watch but not too closely, more because they were in a darkened area and the energy would be bright. The energy was not the type to damage optic nerves, but would be uncomfortable to stare at too long. Tears of happiness streamed down her eyes. She wiped them away. She wanted to be perfect for Harry when he was finished.

The Doctor watched as well. He monitored the energy levels on the screen of the Rift Energy Capacitor. He wondered if the dampeners would hold. Earth technology didn't have the circuitry to perform such a task, but if anyone could make it work other than himself, the Master could.

Martha was too busy hugging and kissing Jack to watch the Master's rebirth. She knew what would happen in the future, how much of a friend Jack would be for the Doctor for all those centuries, as well as what he had done thus far. She really cared for Jack and even though she knew he'd be all right, it really bothered her to see him die.

"Maybe I should die more often," Jack joked.

"Shut up, mister," Martha scolded him.

As suddenly as the yellow light poured into the Master, it stopped. His hooded form stood for a few seconds then collapsed on the platform. The four columns were smoking and occasionally sparks from burnt wiring shot out into the air about the platform. Trembling, Lucy hesitated. She wanted to rush up to him but knew she couldn't. There would be residual energy in the air. He had told her it would be harmless to him, but she would have to wait for it to clear.

Slowly the Master rose from the platform. The hood was down over his face. Hunched over, he limped and staggered away from the machine. "Lucy…" he croaked weakly as he stumbled over to her. He reached her and fell to his knees. She clutched him and held him. The Doctor watched silently. The Master was dying. He saw him start to shake even as Lucy held him. Wait, was he laughing, the Doctor thought to himself.

"Harry?" she whispered. She pulled back the hood. The Master, her Harry grinned manically at her. His dark eyes were the endless pits that she loved getting lost in when she looked into them. His short dark hair was mussed up, giving him the evil schoolboy appearance that she adored. She felt his body. It was wiry and strong. The Master completely restored as before she had shot him as he promised.

"Ta-dah!!!" he exclaimed, kissing her passionately on the lips. He got to his feet and pulled Lucy up with him. He took out his laser screwdriver and pointed it at a small boom box on a shelf in a corner. A burst of energy from the screwdriver and the device began to play the Scissor Sisters song, "The Other Side." As the eerie music played, the Master, his cloak spinning, danced around the laboratory with Lucy in his arms laughing and crying at the same time, her hair a golden blur.

The Doctor sighed; annoyed that he had been taken in by such a silly prank. "He'd have never done that before this regeneration," he muttered to himself. The Doctor exchanged embarrassed looks with Martha and Jack who both appeared utterly confused by the spectacle. The Doctor smiled and shrugged.

As they danced, the Master sung in Lucy's ear along with the song.

"'_If it takes another life  
I'll wait for you  
On the other side  
Everything that comes to me  
As good  
Belongs to you'"_

As the song ended, the Master repeated the last lines, not to Lucy, but for the Doctor.

""_And I have a right to be in love  
And I have a right to be loved  
They'll be over the rainbow for me!'"_

The Master laughed as the music ended, holding Lucy close to him. She looked simply radiant in his arms and tended to nibble at his ear. He took Lucy's hand and held it to his chest at one spot and then another. "Two hearts that beat for you, Lucy Saxon!"

"And the drums?" the Doctor asked quietly.

He smiled. "Oh yes, Doctor. The drums! The call to war; the urge to destroy and relish in the destruction. It's glorious, actually!"

"That'll be about enough for today," Jack said, having made his way to the workbench and picking up one of the Torchwood stun guns. He pointed it at the Master and Lucy.

"Oh! Forgot about the Freak! I can never really tell when he's dead or alive really. He's just that dull!" The Master cast Lucy a mischievous glance. "So, Freak, are you going to stun us, or kill us?"

"Stun," Jack said quietly. "We'll get you both a nice padded cell."

"With adjoining rooms, I hope," Lucy winked.

"We'll see," Jack said, pulling the trigger. Nothing happened.

The Master burst out laughing. Lucy flashed her best "the cat that swallowed the canary" smile.

"Aww the Freak and his broken toy!" The Master shook his head. "I drained the power cells. Why else would I just leave them laying about for you to pick up and use on us? Shall I kill you again?"

"You leave him alone!" Martha shouted.

The Master turned and faced Martha. "Ah, the jilted companion. I have one thing to say to you, Martha Jones: Your Mum makes dreadful tea!"

Martha glared at him, completely taken aback.

Lucy stiffed a laugh and regained her composure.

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the Master. "It worked. You're really you… all Time Lord."

"Well, I never had a single doubt," the Master smiled. "Well…" He held his thumb and first finger up with them a bit apart.

"Now what, Master?" The Doctor watched him carefully. He was dangerous before. Now he was insane. And dangerous. "What do you do now?"

The Master thought for a moment. "I think we'll use the Freak's vortex manipulator and get out of here, what do you think Lucy? See the Cosmos?"

"Sounds delightful, Harry," Lucy smiled at her Master, her Harry.

There was a warning beep coming from the main console. The Master dashed over to it and began pressing controls. Lucy joined him. "Ah! We have company coming! Proximity warning. UNIT has dispatched an honor guard for me. Oh, this could be fun!"

"What are you going to do, Master? Just leave while you can," the Doctor urged.

"Well, that's no fun," the Master frowned. "I used to be minister of defense. Why don't I take control of the missile defense systems; that should take me ten, fifteen seconds at most, and launch a little nuclear war? Every marriage needs a few fireworks now and again!"

"My God," Martha whispered.

Another chapter! Hope you enjoyed this. Please review as you can.


	7. Chapter 7: In Sadness And In Joy

Disclaimer: Doctor Who and other really cool stuff is owned by the BBC. Intermission is owned by the Scissor Sisters.

Author's note: I trust this isn't too insane. Hills and UNIT! Enjoy! Oh yes, and lest I forget, I simply must dedicate this to The Chibi's Are Stalking Me for the threats of violence if I didn't update, and the hills with UNIT.

Chapter 7: In Sadness And In Joy

A number of UNIT helicopters, flitting about like insects, interrupted the tranquil blue sky over Cardiff as they provided air cover and surveillance. Over the rolling hills of northern Cardiff, came UNIT jeeps and troop transport vehicles. Their objective was the origin of the mysterious signal that had gone out through the Archangel Network; its signature contained hidden access codes that belonged to its dead creator Harold Saxon. UNIT, Torchwood, and a scant few other secret organizations knew that Harold Saxon, former PM of Great Britain was actually the Master. No one could be sure if his currently missing wife transmitted the signal, or if it had been done by the dead Master himself. Experience had proven in the past that the Master had an uncanny ability to return from the dead.

The UNIT forces arrived at the warehouse. No one was particularly surprised to find an old weathered Police Box in the area. Men and women in standard UNIT uniforms spread out in defensive positions. A recon team entered the building to investigate. The person in charge of the UNIT operation was a dark haired woman, whose stern appearance hid her attractive features. Colonel Diana Beresford was known to be very strict and by the book. Though tough, she received full respect from her troops.

She was seated at a folding table pouring over building plans for the warehouse when her second in command came up to her and saluted. Major Derek Hinson was tall and lean, with very short blond hair. He had served with her for some time and they had become friends. He held her in the highest of regards.

"At ease, Major," Colonel Beresford told her subordinate. "What did they find in there? Any sign of the Doctor, or the Master?"

They tried the TARDIS, but it's locked and no one appears to be home," Major Hinson replied.

"I've heard that's quite a common complaint with the Doctor," she joked.

Major Hinson nodded. "The recon team arrested four men bound with metal restraints, but they're not talking. The team explored the tunnel and found some shorted out equipment that could have been a defense system. They continued on to the substation, but a blast door sealed the entrance. Scans of the substation indicated strange energy readings inside, so my guess is that's where they are."

"We'll have to breach the door. Get an assault team ready," she said grimly.

"Yes Ma'am," the Major saluted and left to carry out her orders.

Inside the substation laboratory, the Master was jovially tapping away on the keyboard of the laptop wired into his control console. The screen had the Ministry of Defense logo on it and a map of Great Britain. A targeting icon was located at Cardiff. "Isn't this fun, Doctor? I recall just how smashing it was when Lucy and I launched all those missiles on Europe! Such a shame it never happened. Well, we can remedy that now!" he taunted.

"Master stop it! Why are you doing this?" the Doctor asked, stepping closer to him. "Just give it up. Don't listen to the drums."

"That's close enough, Doctor," the Master said, pointing his laser screwdriver at him. "Unless you want to become a time troll again!" The Master smiled insanely. "Why am I doing this? Why not? Besides it annoys you!" The Master laughed and turned back to the computer to finish the launch codes.

Martha and Jack had inched their way to the other side of the console but found themselves held at bay by Lucy and her pistol. Jack wasn't afraid for himself but he knew Lucy would probably shoot Martha first and by then the Master would have been able to turn and use the screwdriver on him.

"Wait a moment, if you wanted to age me, you would have done it by now. You can't, I hope…" the Doctor muttered as he quickly took out his sonic screwdriver. The Master was busy at the controls and didn't notice in time. The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the console. A sonic blast ripped through the circuitry of the console, and in a shower of sparks, the console went dead before the Master could send the launch codes.

The Master and Lucy backed away from the ruined console. The Master glared at the Doctor. "I can't believe you just did that!" he ranted like a small boy. He turned to Lucy, who gave him a sympathetic look. "He destroyed my console! He destroyed my console!" With Lucy beside him, he stomped over to the Doctor. "Oh, you're quite pleased with yourself aren't you?"

"Oh yes, always feels good to stop a megalomaniac from blowing up the Earth," The Doctor smiled, just to frustrate the Master. He always did hate being scoffed at. "So I was right, you don't have my DNA in there anymore."

"Yes, you're right, Doctor. I had to remove it since I can only store one person's DNA in this device at a time, but your DNA chip is safely hidden away. You know how it is, made it on Earth with the ensuing limitations to the memory circuits. You have to work with what you have available." The Master shrugged.

"Whose DNA do you have installed?" the Doctor asked cautiously.

The Master wrapped his arm around Lucy lovingly. "Lucy's of course! I mean you're right. Humans have such a short life span. Did you honestly think the Lazarus Project was just for you? When I married Lucy, I knew she wasn't going to be around as long as I was, so I funded the Lazarus Project. Now I can keep her young and beautiful, as a wife and companion of a Time Lord should be."

"But you saw," the Doctor shook his head. "It doesn't work. It causes anomalies in the DNA. It activates latent evolutionary genes, mutating the subject. It's a failure."

"Did it with you? No!" the Master said rolling his eyes. "Gallifrey to the Doctor, do you copy?" The Master smiled wickedly. "I fixed it. Professor Lazarus was almost right. I just worked out a few glitches. Perhaps I should have told him?" The Master shook his head slowly, his wicked smile more pronounced. "Now let's see, you broke my console, so…" He pointed the laser screwdriver at Martha. He then flipped it suddenly and shot Jack with a quick burst. "Well, now I feel better."

Martha caught Jack and lowered him to the ground. She looked up at the Master with hate-filed eyes. "You insane monster!" Martha managed to stammer, tears in her eyes. The Doctor took a step toward the Master but found Lucy's gun in his stomach. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh please, Martha Jones! You're not even worth the energy to kill. You're not the one the Doctor loves!" the Master said smiling smugly. He walked away from the Doctor and stepped over Jack's dead body. Lucy gave the Doctor a mockingly sorrowful look and followed her husband. She stepped around Jack.

The Master walked over to the panel that still held his ring. He removed the ring and examined it. "Needs some work. Been through a lot, you know," he said to Lucy who stayed away from the machine. She recalled his warning.

"Oh, it's safe now," he said approaching her. He slipped his ring in his pocket.

Lucy smiled and said, "Since you're not going to wear your ring just yet Harry, wear this one." She took out a gold band exactly like the one she had given him back on their wedding day. "Sorry, your original ring didn't survive the fire." She slipped the ring on his finger. "Mr. Saxon."

The Master smiled warmly at his wife. "Mrs. Saxon." He kissed her passionately on the lips.

The Doctor cleared his throat loudly.

The Master pulled away from Lucy. She pouted a bit and considered taking out her pistol again. Five was definitely a crowd, she thought to herself.

"Sorry about that, Doctor, but you know how it is, beautiful wife, great to snog… Oh that's right you wouldn't know about that, well the having a wife bit anyway," the Master taunted cruelly. "So, was it fun snogging her? Was she good? Rose Tyler, I mean. Better than Martha Jones, I'd wager. Her kisses are rather like her mum's tea I suspect!"

"You leave Rose out of this. She's gone," the Doctor said sternly. "You're not fit to even mention her name. You've got the vortex manipulator, just go."

"I seem to have struck a nerve," the Master said to Lucy. He took out the vortex manipulator. "Get your coat, Lucy. The Doctor's just not going to be any fun at all."

Lucy walked over to the workbench and picked up her red cashmere coat and satchel. Just then, an eerie, faint, whirring churning noise began to fill the air. It was very stylized and familiar. The noise grew louder. An area of the laboratory became blurred. An object began to form. By now, Lucy had rejoined her husband, who seemed very pleased. The object that formed was of a large, box-like control panel. It resembled the rest of the equipment in the lab perfectly.

The Master laughed and approached the object. He reached out and the front of the machine opened up like a door. "From one hundred trillion years in the future… No wonder it took so long!"

"That signal you sent. I thought I recognized it!" the Doctor exclaimed. "A TARDIS recall signal. You used the Archangel Network to amplify the signal into the rift. Brilliant!"

"That's right Doctor! How else did you think I got there in the first place and disguised myself with the Chameleon Arch? When I opened the watch, things were a bit fuzzy, and then I had to regenerate. It's not like I had a great deal of time to remember where I parked the bloody thing! However, I did remember and I planed on retrieving it eventually. Well, better late then never! Come on Lucy; let me show you a proper TARDIS!" He ushered his wife inside and closed the door.

Jack started to come around. Martha was holding him tightly. She looked up at the Doctor. "He'll just keep on killing and destroying, Doctor. You have to stop him!"

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and tried to open the lock. "He's got his TARDIS armed with a sonic screen. The sonic screwdriver won't work on his," he said concern on his face.

The room was dimly lit, primarily due to low power levels, but also due to the black, stylish circularly inscribed walls. The console was hexagonal and possessed the same dark color scheme.

"Harry, it's beautiful!" Lucy said, taking it all in. She was accustomed to the machine being much larger on the inside. She was simply so impressed by how well ordered it was and how it looked so evil inside. She turned to her husband. "Harry, will it work?"

The Master was busy pressing controls. "There was just enough power for one last trip," he said sadly. He then smiled. "But, open the engines and rift energy pours in…" He turned a dial. There was a large surge of energy in the ship. "Shouldn't be more than a minute or so, since the engines are still warmed up from the trip!"

Moments later, the lights in the TARDIS slowly rose to normal, and the console lit up fully. "There we are, much better! I'll take you on a tour later. Let's bid our captives a fond farewell!" The Master adjusted a few controls. "But first…" the Master took Lucy's hand and pressed it into a panel. The panel glowed a bit and she felt a tingle surge through her body. "There! Now my TARDIS will recognize your DNA as well and understand our relationship." Lucy smiled devotion in her eyes. "Now we can say our goodbyes," the Master winked.

The door of the Master's TARDIS flew open. He stepped out followed by Lucy. Jack charged the Master. He didn't shoot Jack. Jack never got to him. The TARDIS' force field kept Jack from even getting near them.

"Now I'm a proper Time Lord. I have my TARDIS and my faithful companion." The Master smiled slyly. "This is much better then some fifty-first century toy."

"There's nothing proper about you," Martha spat.

"Hey, that vortex manipulator got me through a lot of scrapes," Jack said insulted. "Who needs a fancy TARDIS?"

"Oh, I'm just going to cry!" the Master exclaimed, a smile on his face. "The TARDIS is charging up and we'll be off in just a bit!" He took out the vortex manipulator and hit it with a blast from his laser screwdriver. He then dropped the watch-like device on the floor. "Sorry, broken again."

"Master, wait. We could link our ships and travel together. Rebuild Gallifrey the proper way, without all the senseless destruction. What do you say?" the Doctor said, looking the Master straight in the eye, his jaw set in seriousness. Martha was right, now no one was safe.

"Oh, Doctor. You just want to get inside my TARDIS!" the Master said, smiling, an eyebrow arched. Lucy suppressed a laugh. "Your way is the dull way. No thank you very much! Bye-bye!"

The Master turned to go inside his TARDIS, but stopped when he heard the loud noise at the door. There was another. The Doctor grabbed Martha and Jack and pulled them over to the workbench. He tipped the bench on its side with a very loud crash and pulled them behind it.

"UNIT," the Master said to Lucy. Both were still within the protection of the TARDIS force field.

The heavy door flew away from its frame amid a large explosion. Smoke rose from the door and the opening. A number of heavily armed UNIT troops poured into the laboratory. They trained their weapons on the Master, who had an amused look on his face. Lucy looked terrified and clutched at her husband's arm.

"Force field," he whispered to her. Lucy relaxed a bit. She was still very nervous.

"Harold Saxon, or the Master, if you prefer, and Lucy Saxon," Colonel Beresford approached, sidearm drawn and pointing at them. Major Hinson stood next to her, his weapon drawn as well. "You are under arrest for crimes against all humanity. Surrender or we'll be forced to open fire."

A couple of UNIT soldiers rounded up the Doctor, Jack, and Martha. The Doctor tried to say something but was stopped by one of the soldiers. He showed him his old UNIT identification card and was allowed to approach the Colonel.

The Master shot his arms straight up in mock surrender. "Oh, please don't shoot us! I confess! It was all Lucy! She's such a bad influence!" He then burst out laughing. Lucy, arms raised as well, smiled and shrugged at the troops.

"Be careful, Colonel. They're behind a force field and he's got a TARDIS. Oh, and I'm the Doctor by the way, nice to meet you!" the Doctor said cheerfully. He was standing next to her.

"Doctor," she said acknowledging him. "Well, those bullets are special kinetically energized. They'll pierce a Dalek's energy shield and armor.

The Master lowered his arms slowly and pressed a control stud on his laser screwdriver. The stereo in the corner began to play a song. The sound of violins heralded the start of the song. It was oddly cheerful. Another Scissor Sisters song. Several of the soldiers glanced at each other, confused.

_When you're standing on the side of a hill  
Feeling like your day may be done  
Here it comes  
The strawberry smog  
Chasing away the sun_  
_Don't let those precious moments fool you  
Happiness is getting you down  
A rainbow never smiles or blinks  
It's just a candy-colored frown  
_

_  
You were going on at half-past seven  
Now it's going on a quarter 'til nine  
All the angels want to know  
Are you lost or treading water?  
And you're going on your fifteenth bender  
But you've only got a matter of time  
Yes we've all got seeds to sow  
Not everyone's got lambs to slaughter  
_

_  
When the night wind starts to turn  
Into the ocean breeze  
And the dew drops sting and burn  
Like angry honey bees  
That is when you hear the song falling from the sky  
Happy yesterday to all  
We were born to die_

At that part of the song, a blast of energy issued from the Master's TARDIS and two UNIT soldiers disappeared in a haze of dark plasma. The Master laughed insanely and spun his wife around to the music. The remaining UNIT soldiers opened fire. The bullets simply ceased to exist as they touched the boundary of the force field.

"Fall back!" the Colonel shouted, watching the UNIT weapons have no effect what so ever against the Master. The song continued and more plasma beams claimed several more UNIT soldiers.

_Sometimes you're filled with the notion  
The afterlife's a moment away  
You want to tell someone the way that you feel  
But then you ain't got nothing to say  
You fight for freedom from devotion  
A battle that will always begin  
With somebody giving you a piece of advice;  
By the way you're living in sin  
_

_  
Now there's never gonna be an intermission  
But there'll always be a closing night  
Never entertain those visions  
Lest you may have packed your baggage  
First impressions are cheap auditions  
Situations are long goodbyes  
Truth so often to living dormant  
Good luck walks and bullsXXt flies  
_

_  
When the headlights guide your way  
You know the place is right  
When the treetops sing and sway_  
Don't go to sleep tonight  
That is when you see the sign  
_Luminous and high:  
Tomorrow's not what it used to be  
We were born to die  
Happy yesterday to all  
We were born to die_

The Doctor, Martha, Jack, Colonel Beresford, Major Hinson, and the remaining UNIT troops made it inside the relative safely of the tunnel.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said sadly. "I tried to tell you."

"We can't stop him?" she said angrily.

The Doctor shook his head.

The Master had waved to them as they fled the laboratory. They were then alone. He had a satisfied smile on his face.

"Well, Lucy, that was entertaining," the Master said, taking Lucy in his arms and pulling her close. His face was less than an inch from her. "What do you say? Second honeymoon? Well, a proper first one since the other was basically a photo op!"

Lucy licked her lips sensuously. "That would be lovely, Harry."

They kissed. As the Master led Lucy inside his TARDIS, he fired his laser screwdriver at the Rift Energy Capacitor. On the monitor, a countdown began.

"A lovely parting gift," he said to Lucy. "I do so love a countdown!" They both laughed as they entered the TARDIS. A moment later, it was gone amid the familiar whirring churning noise.

Having heard the TARDIS leave, the Doctor slowly ventured back inside the laboratory. What he saw horrified him. The screen indicated less than four minutes. He turned and shouted to the tunnel. "Colonel! The Master's overloaded his Rift Energy Capacitor. Get your people out." The Doctor rushed to the control panel and began studying the system. He saw that there was enough energy to wipe out Cardiff.

Author's Post Story Note: Another cliffhanger! I loved the format of the old show! Sorry this took so long. Hope you enjoyed this. Please read and review!


	8. Chapter 8: And May Your Days Be Good

Disclaimer: The BBC owns all things Doctor Who.

**Chapter 8: And May Your Days Be Good And Long Upon The Earth…**

The Doctor looked about the room as he formulated a plan to halt the Rift Energy Capacitor overload and detonation. The countdown continued as he rushed over and picked up Jack's vortex manipulator. Slipping the watch-like device in his pocket, he took out his sonic screwdriver as he quickly stepped over to one of the machines that lined the walls of the Master's laboratory. The tip of the Doctor's device glowed blue as an access panel fell away, revealing complex circuitry. He saw a flash and ducked as a red beam fired past him. The beam came from a small laser pointer attached to the housing on the inside of the machine. The Master had toyed with the simple device making it powerful enough to cut through solid matter. It left a nasty burn hole on the opposite wall. A blast from the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and the laser pointer popped and smoked, melting slightly.

The Doctor made sure that the power to the machine was disabled and he examined the design. He began pulling circuit boards, and was relieved that no further attacks from the device took place. He was running out of time, and the Master's little games like the deadly laser pointer wasted precious seconds. He took the circuit boards and ran to the prototype Lazarus machine, glancing at the countdown. Two minutes remained. He scanned the platform with his screwdriver. He detected no traps. "Must have been fried by the energy surge," the Doctor muttered aloud to himself. He opened the access panel and just as he thought, most of the circuitry was charred. He saw a broken laser pointer inside and he quickly pulled it out and tossed it aside. He then set about repairing the machine with the circuit boards he was carrying.

Martha and Jack carefully re-entered the lab. They noted the countdown and exchanged concerned glances as they joined the Doctor. The Doctor did not look up to acknowledge them, but continued to work feverishly on repairing the machine. "I want you two to get out of here and get inside the TARDIS. It's the safest place for you. If this doesn't work, well, I suppose the Master will be the last of the Time Lords."

"We want to help Doctor, and we're not going anywhere," Martha said kneeling down close to the Doctor. She watched him work. She was always fascinated how he made the complex look simple, how he would risk everything to help people and seek nothing in return, and how he could forgive a monster for unspeakable acts. As much as she tried, she had not gotten over the fact that part of her still loved him.

The sonic screwdriver hummed as the Doctor connected the circuit boards. He pressed the final circuit board in place. He then took out the vortex manipulator and wired it to the platform. More work with the sonic screwdriver and the vortex manipulator lit up again. The Lazarus machine shuttered and began to function as power returned to the prototype device. "You can't help, because I appear to be done," he smiled at Martha as he snapped the access panel back in place.

"Forty-two seconds, Doctor," Jack said glancing at the countdown. "What are you going to do?"

"There's no time to get out," the Doctor said to his companions. "I've converted the Lazarus machine prototype into a portal conduit. I'm going to try to shunt the energy back into the rift… hang onto something solid and don't let go!" he said as he hooked his arm onto a pipe. Jack took Martha and they held onto another pipe as the Doctor did.

The Rife Energy Capacitor began to rumble. It had reached critical mass. The cone-like device started to glow eerily and began to take on a spectral appearance as its solid form converted to pure energy. The room filled with a loud, surging sound as the process took place. The Doctor, sonic screwdriver at the ready, hit the vortex manipulator with a sonic blast, switching it on. The large framework of the Lazarus machine prototype took on a similar appearance to that of the Capacitor, glowing strangely as well. The countdown reached zero.

"Shut your eyes!" the Doctor shouted over the noise created by the surging energy fields. The three all shut their eyes and held on tight as massive bolts of energy arced from one machine to the other. The light was blinding, and the room shook as the Lazarus machine absorbed the energy from the Capacitor and poured it back into the riff. Cardiff shook as well, caught in an earthquake caused by the massive energy exchange.

The UNIT troops took cover as best they could during the tremors, mostly by avoiding bits of falling masonry from the old warehouse. During the quake, no one noticed that a brick wall of a nearby building suddenly seemed to stick out a bit more than it should. Inside his TARDIS, the Master sat on a stylish, black leather chair. His wife sat next to him in a similar chair. Both watched the screen as Cardiff shook. Each sipped champagne from crystal flutes and exchanged amused glances at each other.

The power continued to surge from one side of the room to another. At times, streaks of energy bounced off consoles sending them into sparks. The air grew hot and hazy. Jack pressed himself closer to Martha as best he could to shield her. Loose bits on the floor began to rise, fly toward the Lazarus machine, and ionize into energy. Finally, the Capacitor rose, glowing and still spewing energy. The Capacitor then hurled towards the Lazarus machine. When it struck, there was a loud cracking noise. The space around the Lazarus machine seemed to curve and the Capacitor was gone.

The ground stopped shaking and the air soon returned to normal. The Doctor, Martha, and Jack all let go of the pipes they held and sunk to the floor exhausted. "Never a dull moment," Jack said, a huge grin on his face.

The Doctor smoothed back his shock of wild, brown hair. "Oh, yes," he said, looking about the ruined laboratory. "Looks like UNIT will have a quite a jumble sale with this lot." He walked over to the smoldering remains of the Lazarus device and removed the vortex manipulator from the rubble. He handed it to Jack.

"Thanks," Jack smiled. He put the vortex manipulator back on his wrist. "It takes a licking…"

Martha threw her arms around the Doctor. "You were brilliant!"

"I was, wasn't I?" he grinned, not really minding the hug.

The three left the ruined laboratory, made thier way up the tunnel, and left the warehouse. On the streets, UNIT was moving about, coordinating with the Cardiff police and the rest of Torchwood, as they assessed the damage. Colonel Beresford and Major Hinson saw the trio and made their way over to them.

"Thank you, Doctor," the Colonel said shaking his hand. She shook Martha and Jack's hands as well. The major followed suit and shook everyone's hand as well. "Doctor Jones, you'll be working on a report regarding the Master?" the Colonel said turning the Martha.

"Yes," she replied sternly. There was much she wanted to put into the report. Some of it would not be regulation. Still, it would make her feel better.

Where is the Master?" Major Hinson asked, after he finished shaking hands with everyone.

"The Master's out there somewhere. He's my responsibility. I'll find him and save him from himself," the Doctor said aloud, to no one in particular. He then brightened up. "Well, I'd better be off. Donna may miss me if I'm gone too long."

"Where is Donna, Doctor?" Martha asked realizing she wasn't with him.

"Oh, I left her with the Ice Warriors," he said absent-mindedly. "Ice Warriors!" His eyes became very big and he rushed for the TARDIS. "Goodbye!" he shouted and waved to everyone as he entered the TARDIS. A moment later, it was gone.

"Some things about him never change," Jack said wistfully.

"No they don't," Martha said looking at the spot where the TARDIS used to be.

"He managed it again, yes he did!" the Master said, pouting and frowning from his chair. He scowled and looked very ill tempered.

Lucy Saxon placed a well-manicured hand on her husband's arm. "Harry, it'll be all right. You can destroy Cardiff another time."

The Master laughed. His laughter always aroused her and terrified her at the same time. She adored the feeling. "Well, we should be off," the Master said standing. He walked over to the console and began activating controls. There was a fast humming noise lasting several seconds. "I've just downloaded the entire musical library of Earth. Something to listen to, you know."

"Where shall we go, Harry? You said something about 'whirlpools of gold' on the Valliant," Lucy asked with anticipation.

"Oh yes, I was going to take Tonya there as well," the Master said remembering.

Lucy shot him a very displeased look. She knew the Tonya business had been an act. They had worked it all out in advance, along with everything else. It still made her a bit jealous. She would have used Jack to make her husband jealous if it would not have interfered with his plan.

"Well, so I could shove her in one of the whirlpools," he continued. "She would have made a lovely statue." He flashed her one of his boyishly charming smiles and kissed her passionately. When he pulled away from her, he remained close. "We'd better stop by the mansion and get some of your clothes. I don't have much in the line of ladies' apparel here," he grinned. The Master then hit a button on the console. Music seemed to play from nowhere. It was a Rogue Traders song.

_Drive fast, don't crash  
Make your money, make it last  
Hang tight, kick back  
Prepare yourself for the attack  
Buy low, sell high  
Take your pills, tell your lies  
Fake your tan, wear a tie  
Go to the gym, you'll never die  
_

_  
And that's the way to go  
And that's the way to go (to go)_

The Master winked at Lucy, swaying to the music, and took her hand in his as he pressed the dematerialization circuit control.

Author's Note: I must apologize for the lateness of this, the final chapter. I had computer problems, medical problems, family problems, ect! But it's up, and I do hope you enjoy! I'm working on the next story and hope to have that up soon! I have to do a lot of catching up to do. Please read and review. Thank you so very much!


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